The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-10-09
rhe steam Rams at Memphis.

Tho Steam Rams at Memphis.
The present sessions Of the Board appoint
ted by Secretary WHITNEY to discuss plans
Of steam rams, floating batteries, and other
appliances for harbor defence. give addition
al interest to q new paper contributed by
Gen. A. W. ELLEr to the current number Of
Battles and Leaders ofthe Civil War. Gen.
ELLET Is younger brother Of the late civil
engineer, Col. CHARLES ELLET. who 30
rapidly and successfully developed the
steam ram for river attack and defence In
the earlier years of the civil war. Subse-
quent naval combats on larger scale have
somewhat dimmed public remembrance and
appreciation OF his brilliant and important
achievements.
oneof the points fully brought out in the
narrative lie that, while Col. EnLET's opera
lions were naval, the authority and means
to prepare for them and to carry them out
were furnished by the War Department. the
result being very striking Illustration OF
the advantages sometimes obtained by cut
ting red tape:
upon tho startling verincation Of his neglected ad
mentions afforded BY tho Merrmac, Mr. ELLEr was
called to the War Department. and after . short
purchase rent, man. and command, with tho rank OF
Colonel any number of vessels deemed in his judg.
ment necessary to meet and defeat the feet OF iron
clad then known to be In Of construction
the lower Mississippi"
Col. ELIEr at once bought number Of
steamboats, on the Ohio, strengthened them
with timbers built bulkheads around the
boilers, and started them for Cairo. They
were the Dick Fulton, Lancaster, Lioness.
Mingo, Monarch, Queen Of the West, Sam
son, Switzerland, and Horner. Volunteers
from the army, under his brother, supple
mented their crews. While this work was
going on. the Confederate fleet lying under
the batteries of Fort Pillow attacked and
disabled two Of the Union gunboats near
Craighead's Point:
Col BLxr thsn received most urgent kilograms from
the Secretary Of War to hurry the rams forward ut the
earliest moment possible In consequence Of these do
mands i've Of them were Immediately despatched"
The river battle at Memphis began at dawn
of June 8, 1852, the signal gun Of the Con-
federate feet as 1t advanced to the attack,
sounding exactly at sunrise. The Union
force comprised five gunboats and four Of
ELLETs rams. Admiral Wake, who was
on the gunboat fiotilla Of Flag Officer DAVIS,
has said that the attack twas promptly met
by two of our ram squadron, the Queen Of
the West, Col. @. EILET, and the Monarch,
Lieut-Co A. w. ELhET, which fearlessly
dashed ahead Of our gunboats, ran for the enc
my's feet, and at the first plunge succeeded
In sinking one vessel and disabling another"
Gen. ELLETs account says that the
moment his brother heard the signal gun, he
waved his hat and called to him: Round
out and follow me! Now Is our chancew
The river was already however, thick with
smoke from the guns Of both Sides as the
Queen dashed under full steam past the gun
boats, followed by the Monarch. ELLET.
pointing with his hat to the Gen. Price as the
object for his brothers attack, rushed the
Queen straight against the Gen. Lowell, the
middle Of the enemy's advancing line:
"The two vessels came toward each other in most
gallant STYLE head 10 head PROV to and had thoy
met In that Way Il ID most likely that both would have
gone down. But at the critical moment the Gen. Lowell
began turn; and that moment sealed her fate. Tho
Queen came on and plunged straight into the Lovels
exposed broadside. Tho vessel was cut almost In two
and under the dark waters In less time than
1t takes tell the story The Monarch struck the
Gen. Price glancing blow, which cut her starboard
wheel clean on and completely disabled her."
The Queen. attacked on either side by the
Beauregard and Sumter, was In her turn dis
abled, Col. EI1ET being shot down by pis-
tol ball in the knee, which proved fatal. but
her work was already done and the Confed-
ates were in flight.
Leaving the Little Rebel fast aground the Monarch
turned her attention the sinking Beauregard taking
the vessel In tow. and making prisoner Of her crew
The others Of the enemy feet were ashore and fred
by the before they escaped into the adjoining
kansas swampa The Jsn Thompson blew up with tre.
mendous report Tho Gen. BragR was secured by our
gunboats before the re gained Roadway and saved
Tho Dorm alone made her escape afterward
burned by the enemy at Liverpool Landing. Two other
rebel boats burned At tho same time the Polk and
the Livingston"
The comment with which Gen. ELLET
closes his account is hardly overdrawn:
"For two unarmed, frail. wooden. river steamboats,
with barely men enough on board to handle the ma
chnery and keep the furnace rss burning to rush
the front between hostile fleets and into the
mys advancing line of eight ironclad heavily armed
and fully manned steam rams sinking one disabling and
capturing three and carrying CONSERVATION to the 9TH
ers. was sight never before witnessed"
To make the story Of the battle complete
1t should be added that the Union fleet was
much the stronger In guns. and that the
running fight which was carried on for near
ly an hour. and ended ten miles below the
city, was conducted chiefly by the gun
boats; but this fact does not detract from
the credit due to the first decisive shock,
which should give ELLET's name twofold
place among military and naval celebrities.
One Left From Five.
As the march Of civilization advances, man
sheds the heavy armor by which he fought
his way In primitive times, and accustoms
himself to the new conditions which prevail
in the highly evoluted world. He has come
down from his ancient post Of observation
on the tree top. and the cessation of his
former arboreal habits involves tho adoption
of new ones. When he was sort Of wild
man Of Borneo hiding In caves or diving to